upper-class

1 of 2

adjective

up·​per-class ˌə-pər-ˈklas 

-ˈkläs

: of, relating to, or characteristic of the upper class

upper class

2 of 2

noun

: a social class occupying a position above the middle class and having the highest status in a society

Synonyms

Adjective

• aristocratic
• blue-blooded
• genteel
• gentle
• grand
• great
• highborn
• highbred
• noble
• patrician
• silk-stocking
• upper-crust
• wellborn

Noun

• aristocracy
• elite
• gentility
• gentlefolk
• gentlefolks
• gentry
• nobility
• patriciate
• quality
• upper crust

Examples of upper-class in a Sentence

Adjective

upper-class boys who had an entrenched sense of entitlement

Noun

a popular pastime among the upper classes

a member of the upper class

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Gigi, who wears A-line skirts and strappy, coral sandals, is the picture of upper-class island cosmopolitanism. —Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2024

Salons were musical and intellectual and would have had performers and dancers and singers and actors, and that’s very different from (Alfredo’s) tight middle- and upper-class world. —Duante Beddingfield, Detroit Free Press, 18 Oct. 2024

Noun

The Black middle and upper classes have grown significantly. —John Eligon, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2024

Women like her provide a crucial point of connection between Gotham’s mainstream upper classes, and the tarnished wealth of organized crime. —Gavia Baker-Whitelaw, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1837, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1814, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

upper class

noun

: the highest class in society

upper-class adjective